Coshocton native returns as MVHC doctor

Dr. David Klein works in his office at his practice in Coshocton. Klein, a Coshocton native, recently transferred from the Malta office to the Coshocton office of the Muskingum Valley Health Center.(Photo: Trevor Jones/Tribune, Trevor Jones/Tribune)Buy Photo

COSHOCTON – Dr. David Klein can look out the door of the Muskingum Valley Health Center clinic in Coshocton and see the lot where his childhood home once stood.

Coming home was one reason for his move recently from the MVHC clinic in Malta to the new one near Coshocton Hospital. Another was knowing how much in need the area was of a clinic that caters to low-income families and people who are underserved medically.

It’s why Klein, a doctor for 41 years, joined MVHC when it started in 2008. A few patients have followed him from Malta or another clinic in Zanesville, but he’s steadily obtaining new patients in Coshocton. Some are old friends, and the clinic’s pediatric nurse is a high school classmate.

“Small-town America is just wonderful,” he said with a slight chuckle. “You meet wonderful people.”

The clinic, which opened Feb. 18, has estimated it will treat about 6,000 patients this first year.

It’s not only for people who are uninsured, though, as about 18 percent of MVHC’s 23,000 patients seen annually at its clinics in Muskingum and Morgan counties have insurance but lack a primary care provider.

Klein also likes how MVHC can provide a therapist and assist with social services to people who need it.

“Our idea is to never take away from the physicians who are here,” Klein said. “But we know there are others out there without access to care.”

He said what can prevent people from seeking medical care is a lack of insurance or not being able to find a doctor who takes their insurance, especially if it’s Medicaid. Klein said he hasn’t seen an upswing in patients because of the expansion of Medicaid this year, but some of the other MVHC offices have.

Klein said what he sees most of is cases of diabetes and hypertension. Coshocton County is above the state average for diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9.3 percent of people in the U.S. are diagnosed with diabetes, but Coshocton, that rate jumps to about 13.6 percent.

The main factors in the disease are genetics and culture. Klein said most people who are diabetic don’t live in poverty, but it is more common in areas where high poverty exists because diets tend to be higher in carbohydrates, which come from cheaper food sources.

Diabetes also is more common in older people, and Coshocton has a high elderly population. That also makes arthritis a common ailment Klein has seen in local patients.

Word of mouth about him and the clinic is starting to spread, Klein said. He said he appreciates the patients who have stuck with him, but he also is looking to obtain new ones.

“We have good people in all our locations, but when you go through a lot of things with somebody, you like to keep that relationship going,” Klein said. “We try to maintain those primary care relationships, but we also pride ourselves on being able to service someone as quickly as needed. Sometimes, it’s quicker to get in to someone else.”